I'm sure many of you have reminisced about the good 'ol days of the NES, SNES, Genesis, and so forth. I'm sure many of us have said, "Games were better back then, because we've never experienced anything like them before." However, after looking back at seventeen years of gaming, I can safely offer a rebuttal, "The future is looking much better!" It's common to see people reminisce about the past, and how much they miss their glory days, and I'm comparing this to gaming, seeing as we still have gamers who say, "Super Mario 64, Ocarina of Time, Final Fantasy VII, Metal Gear Solid,and all those other acclaimed games from the past can't be touched, nor beaten," however, looking to the present, where our wallets our being torn apart by this glorious '07 November, I just don't want to go back to the 'ol golden days...

That's not to say they weren't great, but in my mind, gaming just keeps getting better. Although the gaming media and their scores aren't a clear indication of a game's quality; that's up to the individual gamer, but as the years go on, we're seeing more and more great games, with better scores, and we have more on the horizon. As of now, I consider 2007 to be the greatest year in gaming; not because of ONE killer app released a year, like the good 'ol years, but because of numerous games of quality being released all at the same time, without regard to sharing the limelight anytime soon. I mean, Halo 3, considered by many to be the biggest game of the year, has been brought to its knees by games such as Call of Duty 4, Bioshock, and the Orange Box, and we STILL have so many other great games on the horizon for this year, like Super Mario Galaxy, Mass Effect, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Assassin's Creed, and Crysis. Not to mention, a few other titles have been released this year and have obtained quite a bit of acclaim, such as Phantom Hourglass, Ratchet and Clank Future, Heavenly Sword, Rogue Galaxy, and quite a few others..

I don't think we can say the same of 1996, the arrival of Super Mario 64; 1997, the arrival of FFVII, nor 1998, the arrival of Ocarina of Time and Metal Gear Solid.. You see, we take the current situation of gaming for granted, in my honest opinion. Dwelling too much on the good 'ol days just ruins the experience for future games, and in turn, shifts our attitudes about future gaming in general. Next year alone, we have a couple of AAA potential titles on the horizon, some more known than others; Metal Gear Solid 4, Too Human, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Kill Zone 2, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction, Devil May Cry 4, Fable 2, Fallout 3, Grand Theft Auto 4, Ninja Gaiden 2, Soul Calibur IV, and quite a few wild cards such as Dead Space, Brutal Legend, No More Heroes, and White Knight Chronicles. This is why I'm not worried about gaming at all, especially regarding the future..

People can say what they will about the PS3, but as a 360 owner, I will say this; it WILL become a juggernaut in 2008, especially on the heels of 2009, when key titles such as God of War III and Final Fantasy XIII arrive. The 360 will also prove strong and capable, with games like Halo Wars, Gears of War II, Ninja Gaiden 2, and so forth for the 2008/2009 window. I have faith in the seventh generation, and so on, because as history is teaching me, gaming just keeps getting better. 2006 and 2005 were, for the most part, impressive, and 2007 is already looking like one hell of a contender. So, instead of saying, "I miss my old games," say "I can't wait for the new games!"